Final answer:
Bride wealth involves the transfer of value from the groom's family to the bride's, and may include money, jewelry, and land. Bride service, on the other hand, requires the groom to provide labor to the bride's family. These cultural practices, which can lead to familial and societal conflicts, are key aspects of marriage in many societies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bride Wealth and Bride Service at Weddings
The concepts of bride wealth and bride service are cultural practices pertaining to marriages that create obligations between the groom's and bride's families. Bride wealth entails the transfer of material or symbolic value from the groom to the bride's family, which has evolved with time. It might include money, cattle, house goods, gold jewelry, or even land. The groom's family usually pays a portion of the bride wealth before the marriage ceremony and completes the payment at a later date, which keeps the groom in a respectful debt to the bride's family. In case of divorce, the bride wealth is conventionally returned to signify the dissolution of the marital contract.
Bride service is akin to bride wealth but involves the groom providing labor to the bride's family instead. This service could be completed either before or after marriage, enhancing the connection between the groom and the bride's family. The groom might live and work at the bride's parental household, which can be especially beneficial when children are born, as the maternal grandparents can offer support.
These practices, while traditional, can sometimes lead to conflicts, especially in unilineal societies where marriages are viewed as contracts involving the larger family. Circumstances such as economic challenges, infertility, or the death of a child can exacerbate conflicts between lineages, which might even have wider social repercussions.